Nagaland Spelling Bee Championship 2026 will be held in Kohima on October 20 and 21, with cash prizes for winners.
KOHIMA — The 11th edition of the Nagaland Spelling Bee Championship 2026 is scheduled to be held on October 20 and the 21st at the SCERT in Kohima, following a gap of several years.
Organised by the Fountain Club in collaboration with SCERT, this year’s championship will be held on the theme “The Learning Edge”. Two spellers each from educational institutions, studying in Classes 6 to 9, are eligible to participate.
The last date for submission of forms, initially fixed for October 15, has been extended to October 20. However, forms will be accepted only until the commencement of the inaugural programme on that day, after which no submissions will be entertained.
Announcing the details of the championship at a press conference in Kohima on Sunday, convenor of the Nagaland Spelling Bee Championship 2026, Neizokhotuo Belho, said the spelling bee helps children develop communication and speaking skills while expanding their vocabulary and deepening their understanding of word meanings.
Started in 2012, the Fountain Club had intended to organise the championship annually but could not hold the event in 2021, 2024 and 2025 due to various reasons, Belho said.
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He informed that previous editions had attracted around 100 to 150 participants, adding that the organisers were anticipating a higher turnout this year.
Regarding opportunities for winners to compete at higher levels, Belho said financial constraints might prevent the organisers from sponsoring students for zonal, regional or national competitions. However, he assured that the club would extend as much support as possible to deserving candidates.
He also said arrangements had been made to provide logistics and facilities for students travelling from other districts. Parents and teachers accompanying participants would be charged a nominal fee.
Technical convenor Vilekho Bio advised aspiring participants to refer to the Oxford Dictionary in preparation for the competition.
The championship will offer cash prizes of INR 80,000 for the first-place winner, INR 60,000 for the second, INR 40,000 for the third and INR 20,000 for the fourth.
The four quarter-finalists will receive INR 10,000 each. A young speller award and a promising speller award, the latter reserved for participants from government schools, will also carry cash prizes of INR 10,000 each.
All cash awards will be accompanied by citations and trophies.